I can’t get through the summer months without missing the time I used to spend at wilderness camp.
When I was a kid, I went to camp for a week every summer as a camper. And when I was old enough, I spent two entire summers there as a counselor.
One of my favorite memories is from my last week as a camper.
We were in the middle of Mission Impossible—a night game that involves running through the woods in dark clothing in search of special items, evading any of the “guards” out to catch us.
In the pitch darkness, our counselor got a little confused about our location… and accidentally led us right into the swampiest part of the woods. The mud squelched beneath her as she stepped into the swamp.
And, if my memory serves me right, she even lost her shoe.
“Stay back!” she warned us. “I don’t want us all to get stuck!”
Every time she tried to move forward, the mud sucked her back down. She asked us to hand her a branch so she could pull herself out. The campers in the front of our group did exactly that.
My friend and I, who brought up the back of the pack, couldn’t help but laugh at the whole situation. And even though I feel a bit guilty about it now, because I think our counselor was pretty stressed, we still laugh when we look back on that time we were stuck in the swamp.
There are a lot of swamps in life—some we just stumble through for a moment, and others that trap us for entire seasons.
And we need each other to get through these muddy messes. We need friends who are willing to hand us one end of the branch (without laughing, of course) and help pull us out.
God didn’t create us to fight our way through life alone. He created us to live in community with Him, and with each other.
I’m reminded of the words of Hebrews 10:24-25: “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
We are called to spur each other on, to meet together, to encourage one another.
When we see a friend in trouble, our mission is to support them—whether that means praying with them, or providing a listening ear, or giving a ride to the airport, or bringing a bag of groceries.
And then, when the tables turn and we find ourselves stuck in our own swamps, we have somewhere to turn.
God gives so many gifts through our communities. Let’s not miss out on the joy that comes when we do life together.
And never forget… you are onederfully created.
Love,
Becca
